Live from OKW

[rbuzzotta]

Arrived in Orlando yesterday, stayed off site and checked into OKW this morning.

This is probably the worst check in I have ever had here!!! The CM was, let me say, not pleasant!!! She had a flat affect!!!! No WElcome Home, No how are you!! Nothing!!! Granted we arrived at 9:30 AM.........I did not expect my room to be ready (I know better!! LOL). She took my cell number but never told she would call when the room was ready (I just knew this from experience). She never asked if I had any questions or needed any park tickets!!!

I told her that I requested a room NEAR the HH and in a building with an elevator, and not a 1st floor room!!! DD was next to me with her crutches!!!Well, we are on Turtle Pond in a building without an elevator but that does not matter as we are on the ground floor!!!

I put in the request as DD is in a cast and on crutches and DH is in need of knee surgery!!! Walking to the main pool is out of the question now so I want to apologize to all those members in the buildings near the HH, but we will be parking there daily!!

The day was nice by the pool and right now we are relaxing while the thundershowers go over head!!!

We got to see MaryAnn and she gave us our usual hug and welcome home greeting!!! Ted and Eddie will be around tomorrow and my kids can't wait to see them!!

The main pool is very crowded and it is nice to see the families that we have seen over the years again!! It is great to see how the kids grow up!!

Ask any questions.................I'll be happy to answer if I can!!!

 

[wink13]

No questions, just wanted to wish you a great trip!

 

[broncoblue399]

OKW is where we are looking at buying into. I have never had a bad CM at WDW or DL. I'm ready to drink the cool aid but will save a little long and pay cash.

 

[Laxmom]

We just got home today from OKW and our check in was so different from yours. CM must have been having a bad day! We got there at 10am and our room was ready. We ended up in Turtle Pond also but we loved it there as we didn't have the physical limitations that your group does. We were 2 doors from the pool and loved the peacefulness back there. The bust stop was just around the corner. We only went to the main pool once. We did find that the Turtle Shack lady was less than friendly on every occasion that we dealt with her. She got grumpier as the day went on! Maybe she checked you in!!

 

[DebbieB]

Was your reservation in the new "near HH" booking category? That would be buildings 11-14 & 23-26. If not, then they could not put you in those buildings. The only buildings with elevators are 62, 63, 64. If those were full, then it only made sense to put you in a building with a first floor room.

 

[donmil723]

Hi Rosemary!

Just wanted to say I hope the rest of your trip is filled with lots of pixie dust!!!!

Donna

 

[rbuzzotta]

Thanks Donna............

Our reservation was "near HH" and then if that was not available in the buildings with an elevator which are also very close to the HH!!

In all my years (10 plus) coming to OKW, this is the first time I have ever been greeted like that. I can honestly say that check in has always been the best greeting to start my vacation aside from the Welcome Home at the guard shack!! LOL!!

I hope the CM was having an "off day" and her 'mood' changed throughout the day!!

Normally I don't care where we stay as we are just content being at OKW and my kids are older that they can walk or take the bus.............It even is a little bit of a walk to the turtle pool for my DD on crutches........

Well...........off for my walk and to begin another nice day at the pool!!

BTW, The room is in great shape. Must have had new carpet and paint!! Everything in working order and shiny and clean...............yahoooo!!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Thanks for the "Live Report" we will be leaving for OKW in 33 days!!!


But now, I've got to get to work......

 

[CDNmouse]

Hi Rosemary,

We are also at OKW right now. We arrived yesterday at about 3PM. Check in was ok, the guy behind the counter was very quiet, almost seemed shy I guess.

I haven't been to OKW before so I didn't know what to request. Anyway we are in studio in the Hospitality House area. Nice but we are close to the main road so I hear every bus as it goes by. No big problem though.

We had a few small room issues like burnt out light bulbs, and a clock radio not working. All resolved no problem. I did call for some wine glasses and it took about 4 hours to get them. Oh well ... gave th wine time to breath I guess.

Wasn't that quite a storm last evening? We were at DTD when it rolled in. The sky was real spooky looking. I though it would be one of those 5 - 10 rains and then we would be on our way. We were stuck inside the World of Disney store for over an hour. I am sure there are people who would gladly trade places with us though.

We had to take the bus back as the boats were not running due to ligtning still in the area.

Well time for a cup of coffee that I just made. I can continue surfing the net while everyone else is still asleep.

Have a great vacation!

Gary

 

[rbuzzotta]

Hey Gary.............the morning is nice!! DH and I just walked to DTD and back. It was nice. The older girls are already at the pool (have to get prime seats!!) and the younger one's are sleepy!!

The storm was loud last night and didn't let up for quite a while!! It was fine with me as we needed to relax a little!!

Off to the pool..................

 

[Chuck S]

Did your daughter decide to use a wheelchair, or not go to the parks, or what?

I can't imagine a 10yo at Disney not wanting to do the parks.

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks Donna............

Our reservation was "near HH" and then if that was not available in the buildings with an elevator which are also very close to the HH!!

In all my years (10 plus) coming to OKW, this is the first time I have ever been greeted like that. I can honestly say that check in has always been the best greeting to start my vacation aside from the Welcome Home at the guard shack!! LOL!!

I hope the CM was having an "off day" and her 'mood' changed throughout the day!!

Normally I don't care where we stay as we are just content being at OKW and my kids are older that they can walk or take the bus.............It even is a little bit of a walk to the turtle pool for my DD on crutches........

Well...........off for my walk and to begin another nice day at the pool!!

BTW, The room is in great shape. Must have had new carpet and paint!! Everything in working order and shiny and clean...............yahoooo!!!

So you had a reservation (not a request) for near HH and you didn't get it? Near HH is a booking category now, not a request.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

It's dispointing to hear, OKW is our favorite resort. Luckily, our greetings have always been pleasant no matter waht time. Sorry it started you day off wrong but you seem to rebound from it. Hopefully, as you say it the cm was just having a bad day, it's happened to me, and sometimes we need to be reminded to cheer up whether it's part of the job or not.!

 

[rbuzzotta]

I believe it was a booking request to be near the HH!! Either way we are rebounding just fine!!

Kristen has not used a wheelchair as of yet!! She is getting along fine with the crutches but we have NOT gone to the parks yet!! I am sure she will be needing one there!!

We just left the main pool for a little bit!! I know when I go back there, parking spaces will be hard to find!!! If I have difficulty finding a parking space close to the main pool, I will request the wheelchair so we can walk back and forth!!! it would be tooooo much for her to hobble there or the turtle pond pool from our room...........

It is hot today...........typical July in Disney!! Ted is here today and looks great after his knee surgery!!! The kids are waiting for Eddie to return from his days off tomorrow!!! It is nice and relaxing...........getting some reading done and enjoying just being here!!! I told Kristen that next time we come, I will break my foot so I can be treated like a princess!!! (I hope I did not jinx myself!!! LOL!)

WEll............back to the pool!!

 

[CDNmouse]

Hey Gary.............the morning is nice!! DH and I just walked to DTD and back. It was nice. The older girls are already at the pool (have to get prime seats!!) and the younger one's are sleepy!!

The storm was loud last night and didn't let up for quite a while!! It was fine with me as we needed to relax a little!!

Off to the pool..................

Your girls were probably there when my wife and kids were there too. They said that when they got there hardly anyone else was there. I headed out to get a car rental for the rest of the week while they enjoyed the pool.

We headed to the Prime outlets and then Walmart to pick up a few things.

Just got back from the Boardwalk and a visit to our DVC home.

We are heading over to the Poly in the morning to try the Tonga Toast and Kona coffee.

The weather was so nice today. The one little rain shower came down while we were shopping at the outlet stores so no problem.

Have a great Wednesday!

Gary

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Hi everyone
I wanted to get some info about OKW anything you can tell me.
We check in fro the 16th -26th
we have a one bedroom and requested to be near HH with an elevator if possible due to an issue with my sons leg. We are using DME and I wasnt going to rent a car. I wonder if I should now.

I wont be checking in til around midnight my first night. Is this going to doom me to a bad location?

 

[Laxmom]

We didn't rent a car and didn't miss it at all. The buses worked great and DME was wonderful. If you need to get to HH, just hop on any bus - their last stop is HH. When you want to go back, it is just a short walk across the bridge to the Peninsular Rd. stop which is the first stop. It worked great for us.

We ended up in the Turtle Pond area and loved it there. We really enjoyed the quiet pool, purchased the refillable mugs and our bus stop was just around the corner. It was quiet and peaceful there.

 

[CDNmouse]

...

 

[rbuzzotta]

Hi everyone
I wanted to get some info about OKW anything you can tell me.
We check in fro the 16th -26th
we have a one bedroom and requested to be near HH with an elevator if possible due to an issue with my sons leg. We are using DME and I wasnt going to rent a car. I wonder if I should now.

I wont be checking in til around midnight my first night. Is this going to doom me to a bad location?

I also had the same requests and believe a booking request for the HH area. We stated a building with an elevator, top floor. We are on Turtle Pond Rd in a first floor. DH has a bad knee and DD is in a leg cast!!! I would maybe make a phone call before you leave to reiterate your request!!! But you must remember (as I was told), it is only a request!!! We were thinking of cancelling our rental car but when she broke her foot we knew we needed it!!! I just can't picture her waiting for buses and hobbling up the bus with crutches!!!

It finally got to DD yesterday!! She slipped at the pool and hit her knee and toes (the one with the cast on). It hurt!! (she also slipped in the kitchen in the room on some wet tile!!) We got a wheelchair from the front desk. She is uncomfortable in the wheelchair for 2 reasons: it is rusty and ugly (LOL) and she feels like everyone is staring at her and that bothers her.

We are heading out to MGM today and then Epcot tonight. We will take it slow and rent a wheelchair at the parks!!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I also had the same requests and believe a booking request for the HH area. We stated a building with an elevator, top floor. We are on Turtle Pond Rd in a first floor. DH has a bad knee and DD is in a leg cast!!! I would maybe make a phone call before you leave to reiterate your request!!! But you must remember (as I was told), it is only a request!!! We were thinking of cancelling our rental car but when she broke her foot we knew we needed it!!! I just can't picture her waiting for buses and hobbling up the bus with crutches!!!

It finally got to DD yesterday!! She slipped at the pool and hit her knee and toes (the one with the cast on). It hurt!! (she also slipped in the kitchen in the room on some wet tile!!) We got a wheelchair from the front desk. She is uncomfortable in the wheelchair for 2 reasons: it is rusty and ugly (LOL) and she feels like everyone is staring at her and that bothers her.

We are heading out to MGM today and then Epcot tonight. We will take it slow and rent a wheelchair at the parks!!

Yeah we know its only a request and Disney already didnt listen. I called to ask them something and I was blocked in a roll away room which I dont need. I dont need a handicapped room and dont want to take one from a family that might need it.

I am not going to worry. We are there for 10 nights and then move over to the CR concierge for a few. I do have a car rental so if I am not close to the main building I will deal. As long as the room is clean I am gonna be good.